Wicanders Cork Oak Series 200, Originals Collection in Natural covers 90% of this award winning building. As the green headquarters for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the architects and designers of this ecologically ambitious project had a lot to live up to. And live up they do, as the nation’s first building to achieve the US Green Building Council’s Platinum rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

One step inside the Philip Merrill Environmental Center, and it is obvious that the creators of this invigorating space lost none of the aesthetic intrigue in their “down to earth” designs. In fact, deliberate care and attention to detail is noticed throughout every aspect of the space. Canopy skylights and oversized windows facing the Chesapeake Bay create a fresh, stimulating work environment for the nearly 100 employees of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, an organization dedicated to education and activism for preservation of the Chesapeake Bay.

Soft, natural light floods each office area. Honey-spun colored beams made of recycled parallel stranded lumber direct the eye horizontally to breathe in views of the Bay. Sheathes of Wicanders Cork Oak floors blend into the natural warm tones within the space and perfectly compliment the cool shades of the Bay. Environmental harmony abounds throughout.
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation uses sensors to switch on lights and indicator signs, paints and adhesives with low VOCs, motorized window operators, flush-less compost toilets, rainwater cisterns, and geothermal heat pumps, among many other resources to achieve the exclusive LEED Platinum rating.

The Platinum award is the highest possible rating in the LEED category system. The rating system takes into account aspects of building such as leadership in sustainability, recyclability, energy conservation, material quality, efficiency, and innovation. Wicanders Cork Oak contributes points to the following LEED sections: 1) Materials & Resources, 2) Indoor Environmental Quality, and 3) Innovation & Design Process. Wicanders has hardly just jumped on the green building bandwagon. Since 1868, long before the US Green Building Council’s LEED award was created, the manufacturers of Wicanders Cork Oak have been the environmentally conscientious world leaders in the industry. In addition, Wicanders’ are the only Cork Oak floors certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, an internationally recognized label that regulates the inspection of forest products from raw materials to finished product.

Cork Oak is grown deep within the Mediterranean forestland. Every nine years, mature Cork Oaks are carefully shorn of their collected bark by hand. The growing tree remains absolutely unharmed, as the outer covering soon regenerates and each Cork Oak continues to flourish. Being such a sustainable crop, Cork Oak trees provide an average of 16 bountiful harvests over an impressive 150-200 year lifespan.

Chuck Foster, Chief-of-Staff at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, who was involved in the building process affirms, “We wanted Cork Oak because it's renewable, does not provide a place for mold, mildew, or dust to hide, does not create static electricity, has insulating and sound deadening properties, is durable and easy to maintain, and we liked the look.”

Wicanders Cork Oak Series 200, Originals Collection in Natural was chosen to cover this beautiful space because it offered a comfortable, warm workspace and breathtaking setting for the business and social events held at the Phillip Merrill Environmental Center. The areas covered by Wicanders Cork Oak include the entire upstairs and downstairs office spaces, as well as an elegant separate conference room overlooking the Bay, which is often used as a sanctuary for wedding receptions and business retreats. Wicanders Cork Oak has a gentle beauty that leaves a lasting imprint on you and not on our environment.

Wicanders Cork Oak, whose source will prosper throughout generations to come, is a renewable, recyclable material that undergoes sustainable production. In fact, because the Montados, the Cork Oak forests of the Mediterranean, are protected natural treasures, the harvesting of Cork Oak is strictly regulated and actually helps to support the vast vegetative growth and wildlife of the forest area. The Montados support natural biodiversity, and are home to wildlife such as nesting black storks, owls, Iberian lynxes, Imperial eagles, and wild boars. Naturally hardy, Cork Oak forests survive without any use of synthetic or chemical herbicides, fertilizers or irrigation.

In keeping with the ecological harmony that the Philip Merrill Environmental Center represents, it is especially important to the manufacturers of Wicanders Cork Oak that each single piece of precious Cork Oak is utilized to its fullest potential. Nothing from the Cork Oak tree is ever wasted. Any unused Cork Oak, even dust, is compressed and used in Wicanders’ insulation materials.

Because of the care and dedicated attention to detail extended, Wicanders Cork Oak floors truly are nurtured from seedling. This attentive integrity is yet another reason so many builders and designers, including those partnered with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in creation of the LEEDs Platinum award winning Philip Merrill Environmental Center, choose Wicanders.

Wicanders Cork Oak flooring is a product of Amorim Revestimentos, a company based in Portugal. Amorim has been the environmentally conscious world leader in the Cork industry for over 130 years, and is the proud manufacturer of Wicanders' Cork Oak floors. Amorim's North American headquarters is located in Hanover, Maryland. For more information about Wicanders Cork Oak flooring, please contact Paulo Nogueira, Managing Director of Amorim, N.A., at 410.553.6062 or visit Wicanders website at www.wicanders.com

Wicanders. Born of Nature, Fashioned for Living.™